by DeWayne Bontrager, Town Clerk
administration as others, it does not diminish the
importance of the procedures for town elections.
This year two Council seats and the Clerk-Treasurer
position are up for election. To become a candidate,
certain regulations need to be met: must reside and be a
registered voter within the town limits; will forfeit office
after election if the candidate ceases to be a resident
of the town (IC 36-5-2-6)(IC 36-5-6-3); length of term
is four years; person who desires to be nominated for a
town office as a Democratic, Libertarian, or Republican
must file a declaration of candidacy with the Circuit
Court Clerk between January 1, 2011 and noon August 1,
2011; a person who desires to be nominated by petition
must file beginning January 1, 2011 and noon July 2,
2011 and procedures for nomination by petition can be
picked up at the Clerk-Treasurer’s office; to be eligible
as a write-in candidate, you must file declaration of
intent between January 1, 2011 and noon July 3, 2011;
and a town under 3,500 can have a town convention
no later than August 20, 2011.
The new town website is now online. Katie Braid has
been working on this project for several months. The
site has a number of links providing information. The
Clerk’s office will be posting announcements regularly.
The address continues to be topekain.net. I am sure
Katie will appreciate your comments.
Remember this ... “if you want children to keep
their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on
their shoulders.”
Master Gardeners Finalize Plans For Annual Spring Symposium
Merrily Hamp, [email protected], 260-4632765. Flyers are also available at the Purdue Extension
LaGrange County Office Building, 114 W. Michigan
Street, LaGrange.
LaGrange Co. Sheriff's Dept.
Activity for the month of January 2011:
Patrol Division:
Traffic Arrests..................64
Traffic Warnings..............84
DUI Arrests........................6
Felony Arrests....................6
Criminal Arrests..............20
Crash Reports..................56
Papers Served................ 156
Police Services............... 771
Signal 30's..........................9
Total Cases.......................30
Total Mileage............20,132
Jail Division:
Transports:
Adult Males......................63
Adult Females..................16
Juvenile Males...................2
Total Transports..............81
Prisoners Booked:
Adult Males......................66
Adult Females..................15
Total Prisoners Booked...81
Total Meals Served... 10,250
D.O.C. Housing
Fees Billed.....$51,835.00
Work Release
Fees..................$3,567.25
Page 13
LaGrange County Master Gardeners met January 20
to finalize plans for their 5th Annual Spring Gardening
Symposium to be held Saturday, March 19, 8:00 am 3:30 pm in the 4-H Community Building at LaGrange
County Fairgrounds.
The theme for this year’s symposium is “Green
Gardening: Can You Dig It?” Dr. Tom Turpin, professor
of entomology at Purdue University, will address the
role of insects in “Pollinators in the Garden.” Carolee
Snyder will speak on herbs and Steve Engleking will
present “Organic Gardening.”
Cost for the day is $20 for adults, $10 for children
under age 18. Fee includes morning refreshments
and lunch.
In addition to presentations, area vendors will be
available with a variety of gardening-related products
and services. Door prizes will be awarded throughout
the day.
Paid reservations are required by March 12. For
a program flyer with reservation form, email or call
Phone: 260-463-4901 • Fax 888-439-6528 • The Hometown Treasure
Town of Topeka is making some progress on the
700 South road project after the pre-bid meeting that
was called. Numerous questions were presented by
the contractors and will be answered later. Bids will
be opened February 28 for review and award may be
made as early as March 14. Provided all matters are in
order, reconstruction could begin by May.
The snow has given the community a challenge
... which was met in good shape. Locally, there wasn’t
very much snow but the wind made it pile up where it
was certainly unhandy. A citizen remarked that a few
stories from past years may be interesting. I recall as a
student at Honeyville school when students were sent
home after lunch because the snow was drifting pretty
bad. Our bus did not arrive because it was stuck in a
drift getting to school. So the bus driver and Menno
Beachy brought bobsleds to take us home. This was
about a 10 mile trip for some of us. The exciting part
for this 10 year old was to snuggle up next to Barbara
Jean Pence (Leedy) (high school cheerleader) most
of the way home. Some years later I remember being
snow bound so I could not get back to college after
Thanksgiving break. Or later yet I remember getting
stuck at my girlfriend’s (who later became my wife)
house and having to get her dad out of bed to help
me get on the way. Darn ... he did not even invite me
to stay ‘till morning.
2011 is election year for cities and towns. While
elections in small towns may not require as elaborate
March 2011
Topeka Town News — From The Clerk’s Desk